On Separate Paths
by Luna the Zekrom
Summary: There were once twelve kits in RiverClan who promised that they would always be friends. But when Stonekit is chosen to be Leapingstar's apprentice, his brother Mightykit feels betrayed and turns on the cat who was once his best friend. The paths of the twelve apprentices are split apart, but is there a chance that they can be joined again, or are they on separate paths for good?


AN: Thanks for reading _On Separate Paths_! This is my first Warriors FanFiction, but I have been writing for many years, so this story will be at least decently written. But it's up to you, as my readers, to point out any mistakes I haven't noticed, and hopefully give me some advice on how to improve the quality of my writing. I'm pretty good, but I know that I can always get better. So how this story turns out is as much about you as it is about me.

This story is mostly character-based, and believe it or not, I really haven't come up with much of a plot, apart from the whole "Mightykit wants to be leader, but Stonekit is chosen to be Leapingstar's apprentice instead" thing. If you have any ideas I could use, I'd love to hear them, although I can't promise I'll use them. And as you've probably already noticed, all of the characters are made up by me; none of them are cats from the real Warriors. So if you'd like to borrow them (I think the names my sister and I came up with are pretty cool, so people might want to), just please ask first. :)

**Allegiances**

RiverClan

**Leader:** Leapingstar- dark brown tabby tom with deep blue eyes and a scar across one shoulder; built heavily with square-shaped shoulders, massive paws, and a broad head

**Deputy:** Gracklefur- small tom with blue-black fur and pale yellow eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Forestpelt- handsome long-furred tortoiseshell tom with forest green eyes

Sproutpaw- calico she-cat with brilliant green eyes and a long tail

**Warriors:**

Blackthunder- muscular gray-black tom with spiky fur along his spine and bright yellow eyes

Darkshine- jet-black tom with bright yellow eyes and a narrow face

Reedripple- broad-shouldered dark brown tabby tom with bright green eyes

Pinefoot- dark reddish-brown tom with bright green eyes

Waterpelt- long-furred blue-gray tom with amber eyes

Strongflame- gray tabby tom with ice-blue eyes and large paws

Whiskerstripe- white tom with palest gray stripes and deep amber eyes

Ospreyclaw- dark brown tabby tom with pale yellow eyes and very tall ears

Shellsong- wiry cream-colored she-cat with crystal blue eyes

Nightwillow- long-legged tuxedo she-cat with bright green eyes

Splashbird- tall calico she-cat with bright green eyes

Tortoisefoot- small tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes

Lionfisher- golden tabby tom with sharp amber eyes

Thornflower- dark golden she-cat with sharp green eyes

Mottledfur- tall mottled brown she-cat with warm amber eyes

Warmwords- dusky grayish-brown tabby she-cat with warm amber eyes

Carpspots- calico she-cat with brilliant green eyes

**Apprentices: **

Flypaw- dark brown tabby tom with pale yellow eyes

Tanglepaw- tuxedo tom with bright green eyes and very tall ears

**Queens:**

Stormwings- gray-black she-cat with pale green eyes and thick, feathery fur (kits: Stonekit- gray tabby tom with ice-blue eyes; Mightykit- gray-black tom with ice-blue eyes)

Gingerleaf- pale ginger she-cat with bright green eyes (kits: Daykit- long-furred golden tabby she-cat with bright green eyes; Yellowkit- yellow tabby she-cat with sharp amber eyes)

Flutterfoot- silver tabby she-cat with crystal blue eyes (kits: Bluekit- blue-gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes; Mistkit- silvery-blue she-cat with pale green eyes; Gentlekit- silver tabby she-cat with crystal blue eyes)

Brookpool- palest silver she-cat with crystal blue eyes (kits: Cloudkit- palest silver tom with crystal blue eyes; Swankit- pure white she-cat with dark amber eyes; Whitekit- white-and-palest-gray she-cat with fluffy neck, chest, and tail and deep blue eyes)

Coralnose- silky-furred pure white she-cat with red eyes and a pale pink nose, deceased (kits: Tallkit- dark gray tortoiseshell tom with forest green eyes; Ivykit- pale gray tortoiseshell she-cat with pale green eyes)

**Elders:**

Eeltail- small pale brown tabby tom with a white belly and paws and milky green eyes; blind but still alert

Lizardclaw- tortoiseshell tom with a pointed tail, one twisted claw, and hawk-like amber eyes

Leafstone- caramel-colored tabby she-cat with warm green eyes

AN: I also need some cats from the other Clans. I already have some names, but if you'd like to suggest some, I'd be happy to hear them! Just please don't give me character names from other stories; I'd like to have cats who are all my own. If you suggest a name, you can also tell me what the cat looks like, its gender, and a basic personality for it if you want to. Thanks again and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

Chapter One:

"You can do it, Mightykit!"

Mightykit waved his tail in acknowledgment of his denmates' cheers but didn't look back, determined to climb to the top of the nursery roof and not let anything stop him. The gray-black kit's biggest achievement was becoming the most adventurous and well-known cat in the nursery, and failure would definitely wound his infamous reputation. So he didn't want anything to distract him, not even the triumphant sight of the other kits far below him. He'd see them when he reached the top. The thought pushed him onwards, his short pelt prickling with the excitement and anticipation of success.

The kit grunted as he heaved himself further up the den wall, digging his tiny claws into the woven reeds. Climbing didn't come very naturally to him, as a RiverClan cat, but he wouldn't let something like that stop him! He pictured the eyes of his denmates, shining in admiration, and let the motivation fuel him as he climbed persistently upwards. Each carefully-placed pawstep brought him higher and higher; closer and closer to his goal. Mightykit balanced on one of the reeds that hadn't been woven so tightly into the den wall, wiggling his haunches as he prepared to leap to a higher ledge.

"What are you doing?!" demanded a familiar voice. Mightykit looked down in alarm, feeling betrayed that the other kits hadn't warned him that one of the queens was approaching. They must have scattered when they saw her coming. It was Gingerleaf; the pale ginger she-cat was standing at the nursery entrance, her tail-tip twitching in annoyance.

"Climbing," Mightykit squeaked in reply, waving his tail at the queen in an unsuccessful attempt at innocence. He knew perfectly well that trying to climb the side of any of the dens was not allowed.

"Get down here right now," Gingerleaf commanded in her no-nonsense tone, her tail lashing impatiently as she scolded him. "Hurry up before you fall down and hurt yourself! You know that RiverClan cats aren't built for climbing; you should know better than to even try something so dangerous!" Mightykit's tail lashed defiantly, but he reluctantly unhooked his claws from around the reeds sticking out of the wall, allowing him to slide rather ungracefully to the marshy ground outside the nursery.

A much smaller kit peered at Mightykit from around Gingerleaf's flank, her whiskers twitching in amusement. The small tom recognized Yellowkit, the tabby she-cat from a litter about a moon younger than his own. "Sorry, Mightykit," she mewed, not looking very sorry; her eyes sparkled with laughter. "I didn't mean to give you away to Gingerleaf." She glanced up at her mother guiltily, but not repentantly. Gingerleaf huffed at her, but less fiercely than she would have if it had been one of the others. She was much more patient with her own kits than she had ever been with Mightykit or any of the others.

"Yellowkit," Mightykit yelped indignantly, "you traitor!" He pounced at the younger kit, but she dodged his attack nimbly, turning and darting away through the RiverClan camp. He chased after her, his paws leaving prints in the ground, which had recently been softened by rainfall. Yellowkit ducked under the belly of a mottled brown warrior who had come back from a hunting patrol, trying to lose Mightykit, but the warrior only moved aside to get out of his way, purring as she shook her head fondly.

"You can't lose me that easily!" Mightykit called out, pelting after Yellowkit as she dashed away onward through the camp. They pounded past a few of the warrior dens, which were scattered near the camp entrance. A few cats who were sharing tongues in the shade they provided watched the kits with curious expressions, but Mightykit ignored them, focusing solely on catching up to Yellowkit. She might be as fast as a WindClan cat, but he was bigger and had longer legs, which gave him the advantage. He'd corner her eventually if he was patient; the apprentice den was the perfect place—it was built against a boulder near the river; Yellowkit would have nowhere to run. He'd have to chase her there first, though; Mightykit lunged suddenly to the right, causing Yellowkit to veer away from him to the left, just as he had intended her to. Excitement drove Mightykit onward even faster. His plan was working!

He chased Yellowkit past a small stream that cut the camp nearly in half; a lasting reminder of the storm that had threatened to flood the camp nearly a half-moon ago. Mightykit and Yellowkit's denmates, the other kits in RiverClan, were scattered on the opposite side, where they had apparently gathered after escaping from Gingerleaf's scolding. They watched Mightykit and Yellowkit as they dashed by, some of them in interest and some in sympathy.

"Catch her, Mightykit!" yowled one of the other kits, a blue-gray tabby she-cat, despite not knowing why he was chasing Yellowkit. The yellow tabby glanced back with cunning amber eyes, seeming to get an idea. She suddenly skidded to a halt, kicking up a splash of mud and changing direction to run past one of the nearby warriors' dens as Mightykit accidentally shot past her.

Mightykit skittered clumsily on the slippery bank. His heart lurched for a moment before he regained his footing and pounded after Yellowkit. He realized a heartbeat later that she was looping back around the den, and tried to turn back to intercept her, but slipped and almost fell; he wasn't as agile on muddy ground as his denmate was. The small tabby she-kit raced past him and vaulted across the stream, panting as she slowed to a halt behind one of the other kits. Safely among the others, she flashed Mightykit a look of triumph.

Out of breath, the gray-black kit trotted slowly to join his denmates on the other side of the brook. The silver tabby that was protecting Yellowkit purred in amusement as Mightykit collapsed at her paws. "Nice try Mightykit," she mewed, waving her tail at him happily. "But you'll need to be quite a bit quicker than that if you want to outsmart Yellowkit."

"I'm going to get you, Yellowkit," Mightykit growled breathily, but he didn't move from his position at the silver tabby's paws. Yellowkit's whiskers twitched as she purred at him tauntingly, obviously encouraged by safety in numbers. Mightykit heaved himself to his paws, lashing his tail as he tried to weave around the silver tabby who was guarding Yellowkit, but she stepped forward to block his path. She gave him a stern look out of crystal blue eyes.

"I'm sure Yellowkit didn't mean to get you in trouble," she began, searching for the right words to calm her quarrelling friends. "But what's done is done, and beating her up won't change that. So you can forgive each other and we can move on to do more important things… like bring the elders some prey so they'll tell us a story. It'll be helpful to the Clan, unlike fights between Clan mates." The silver tabby stepped back, looking from Mightykit to Yellowkit hopefully.

"Well said, Gentlekit," meowed Stonekit, Mightykit's littermate. The gray tabby almost the opposite of his brother; Mightykit was reckless and Stonekit was careful, and while Mightykit couldn't wait to become an apprentice, Stonekit was content to stay in the nursery until the time came. Mightykit was often irritated by his brother's patience and obedience, which had earned him his reputation as the most mature kit in the nursery. Mightykit had earned the Clan's affection with his troublemaking ways, but he would never be as well liked as Stonekit.

The silver tabby's eyes shone at the older kit's praise, causing Mightykit to snort in exasperation. Gentlekit looked up to Stonekit so much, as if his opinion was as important as a warrior's. Mightykit didn't see why—he and Stonekit were only a few days older than Gentlekit and her littermates.

Stonekit gave his brother a stern look, seeming emboldened by Gentlekit's admiration of him. "What she says is true," he said, with the dignity of a warrior, holding his chin high. "You would be foolish to ignore her words." He stood tall, as if he were a Clan leader; it was when he acted like this that he really became a burr in Mightykit's pelt. But all the other kits were watching; they looked up to Mightykit at the time, but if he refused to listen to both Stonekit and Gentlekit, their loyalty towards him might falter. He had to put aside his pride in order to retain the other kits' awe of him.

"Fine," Mightykit spat through gritted teeth, lashing his tail in frustration. "I'll forgive you, Yellowkit—just this once." He let his hackles fall, and a playful light flickered into his eyes as he dropped into an attack crouch, wiggling his haunches. "Next time, I won't let you get away so easily!"

"Let her?" scoffed the blue-gray tabby—Bluekit—playfully, her amber eyes glinting with mischief as she mocked her denmate. "As I saw it, Yellowkit _clearly _left you in the dust." She narrowed her eyes tauntingly; it was obvious that she was trying to provoke Mightykit into starting a play-fight. The tip of her long tail twitched in anticipation.

"In the dust?" echoed Daykit, Yellowkit's sister. The long-furred golden kit had been quiet, but now that the argument between Mightykit and Yellowkit had been resolved, she couldn't seem to help but join in. Her whiskers twitched. "In the mud, you should say." Purrs of amusement rippled through the group, except from Gentlekit and Stonekit, who didn't approve of making fun of others.

But Mightykit could take them. "I'll fight you both," he challenged, lashing his tail eagerly. "We'll see whose muddy then!" He dropped into a crouch, ready to pounce, but Gentlekit flicked her tail over his ears.

Mightykit glanced up at her, pricking his ears attentively.

"The elders?" she reminded him.

He felt guilty that he had forgotten. "I'll tell the queens that we're going to visit them," he offered, rising from his crouch and shaking his pelt.

"Be quick or we might go without you," meowed Bluekit meanly.

"No we won't," said Gentlekit, glaring at her littermate.

"Just hurry up," suggested Daykit, although she looked more amused than sympathetic. "You never know what Bluekit might do." Mightykit felt a prickle of annoyance. He was supposed to be the kit who was unpredictable, not Bluekit! Although she was a few days younger than him, and therefore should have been less experienced, the annoying blue-gray tabby she-kit was quickly catching up to him and becoming his rival. His fur bristled indignantly as he stalked off across camp to the nursery, weaving expertly between dens and warriors.

He soon arrived at the nursery dens, breathing in the familiar warm, milky scent. There had originally been only one RiverClan nursery, but with all the kits born this new-leaf, another one had been built. The two dens, which faced each other and were only a few tail-lengths apart, had inspired a variety of games, including running back and forth between dens, tossing a moss ball from one to the other, and pretending that each one was a different Clan's camp. The games had been banned for a little over a half-moon, thanks to the almost back-to-back births of Brookpool and Coralnose's kits, but Mightykit didn't mind much; the new arrivals were also the reason that the older kits were allowed to spend so much time in the rest of the camp. But he still remembered the fun they'd had whenever he approached the nursery from the outside.

"Stormwings?" Mightykit mewed hopefully, poking his head in the den to the left. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the nursery, he could see his mother curled up in her nest, her ears and eyes alert.

"Yes, dearest?" she responded softly, flicking her tail to beckon him inside without disturbing the younger kits. Mightykit scampered inside and over to her nest, careful not to trod on the tails of Brookpool's kits. Only a half-moon old, the kits were very small and therefore more easily tripped over, although Brookpool and Gingerleaf, who was the main bringer of justice in the nursery, would have clawed his ears off for that mistake if not for Stormwings' interference.

Mightykit poked his muzzle into Stormwings' nest, looking in fascination at the tiny kits his mother was feeding. They were Coralnose's; the she-cat had died giving birth to her kits. But to Mightykit, who had been forbidden to watch the vigil, it seemed like the gentle queen had simply disappeared. He missed her; he hadn't known her well, but she had been the queen who had turned a blind eye on occasion when the kits misbehaved. All of the kits had been fond of her, and it seemed too soon for her to leave the Clans behind.

Her kits had identical dappled markings; the only difference that Mightykit could see was that one had darker coloration than the other. They hadn't even opened their eyes yet, and their fur looked soft and fluffy.

"This is Tallkit," Stormwings told Mightykit patiently, touching the darker kit with her feathery tail. "And this is Ivykit." Her tail drifted to the kit with the lighter-colored markings. Her green eyes were gentle and warm. Mightykit felt a stab of jealousy—it seemed like Stormwings never had time to play with him or Stonekit anymore, all because of these two kits.

Stormwings looked at her son intently, seeming to read his thoughts. "You shouldn't be jealous," she reprimanded, but without real anger in her voice. "You have both Strongflame and I, but these kits have no parents. They only have their Clan mates, who all must be family to them to replace what they have never known. I know you might feel like they have taken away all of my attention, but I also know that you are strong enough now to not always need it. It will help to ease your jealousy if you take care of these kits as well; set a good example and guide their paws to the right path."

Mightykit knew she was right; she always was.

"The other kits and I are going to visit the elders," he told her. "We wanted to tell you where we were going in case you sent some cat to look for us." The kit backed away from the nest, anxious to be on his way. Stormwings blinked at him affectionately. "That was very considerate of you," she purred. "Thank you. You can go now; the other kits are probably waiting for you."

Mightykit turned and bounded out of the den, dodging the kit tails and the good-natured swipe Brookpool aimed at his ears for the close call. He felt a pang of affection as he thought about how much he loved his Clan mates. He was lucky to be a part of RiverClan. _Thank you, StarClan, _he thought as he went to join his friends, _thank you for letting me be born in a Clan I can be so proud of._

AN: So there you have it- the first chapter. Please leave a review telling me what you think; they're very much appreciated as long as you aren't mean about it. You don't have to like the story, but that's so reason to tell me it's trash, or whatever people say in mean reviews. _On Separate Paths_ might not be updated very frequently, (homework's a pain) so please be patient in waiting for me to update. Thanks again for reading! :)


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